Vacuum cleaners of the upright type, which are also known as stick vacuum cleaners, generally comprise a main body and a floor nozzle. The floor nozzle acts as both a suction nozzle and a (partial) support for the main body against a horizontal surface to be cleaned, such as a floor. In order to support the weight of the main body, the floor nozzle may be rigidly or rotatably connected to the main body, such as by a rigid tube, or may be adjustable to a plurality of predetermined positions to enable use by persons of different body lengths. The floor nozzle may be arranged in such position that the vacuum cleaner is mechanically stable in its operating position. Alternatively, the cleaner is mechanically unstable and needs partial support by the user via a handle or the like; this usually provides a greater operational agility and in some cases makes floor wheels unnecessary.
An upright vacuum cleaner is generally less convenient than a canister vacuum cleaner in the task of cleaning non-horizontal surfaces or areas located at some height above the floor level. To remedy this, upright vacuum cleaners have been endowed with an auxiliary nozzle to facilitate above-floor cleaning. As a first example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,106 discloses an upright vacuum cleaner with an auxiliary, handheld wand connected to the fan unit via a suction hose which is retractable into the wand. Further, US 2008/282495 describes an vacuum cleaner with a similar constitution, wherein the auxiliary wand is telescopically contained inside the suction hose when not in use. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,322 discloses an upright vacuum cleaner having a flexible, auxiliary suction assembly, consisting of a hose encapsulated in a bendable, fixed-length hose fitting, at the distal end of which is formed an auxiliary suction nozzle. The auxiliary suction assembly is mechanically connected to the main body of the vacuum cleaner at a point near the floor. During operation of the vacuum cleaner, a negative suction pressure is applied to the auxiliary suction assembly also when it is used for floor cleaning. This way, the auxiliary suction assembly is retained onto the main body at its upper endpoint by the suction force exerted by the suction nozzle against a mating surface, at its lower endpoint by the mechanical connection, and along the intermediate portion by magnetic strips attracted to a shallow metal groove with open ends.
However, the problem of storing an auxiliary suction hose in a secure and non-bulky fashion seems to lack a satisfactory solution in the field of upright vacuum cleaners. Likewise, additional improvements appear to be possible as far as accessibility and energy efficiency (minimizing flow resistance) are concerned.